🔗 Share this article

Rachael Parnell

Upon hearing a consumer learned a discounter was selling a recent beauty line that appeared akin to items from luxury brand Augustinus Bader, she was "incredibly excited".

The shopper hurried to her closest outlet to purchase the supermarket face cream for a low price for 50ml - a small portion of the £240 of the luxury brand 50ml item.

The smooth blue packaging and gold top of both products look strikingly comparable. While she has never tried the high-end cream, she claims she's satisfied by the product so far.

She has been purchasing beauty alternatives from popular shops and grocery stores for years, and she's in good company.

Over a quarter of UK shoppers state they've purchased a beauty or cosmetic dupe. This increases to 44 percent among millennials and Gen Z, based on a February poll.

Dupes are skincare products that imitate well-known labels and offer budget-friendly alternatives to high-end products. They frequently have alike branding and containers, but occasionally the formulas can differ considerably.

Victoria Woollaston

'High-Priced Is Not Always Superior'

Beauty experts argue certain alternatives to high-end labels are reasonable standard and help make skincare cheaper.

"I don't think more expensive is always more effective," states dermatology expert a doctor. "Not all low-budget beauty label is bad - and not all premium beauty item is the top."

"Certain [dupes] are truly impressive," adds a podcast host, who presents a program about public figures.

A lot of of the items modeled on high-end brands "sell out so quickly, it's just unbelievable," he remarks.

Scott McGlynn

Skin specialist a doctor believes dupes are fine to use for "basic skincare" like moisturisers and cleansers.

"Alternatives will serve a purpose," he says. "These items will handle the basics to a satisfactory level."

A consultant dermatologist, advises you can cut costs when searching for single-ingredient products like HA, niacinamide and a moisturizing ingredient.

"If you're buying a single-ingredient item then you're likely going to be okay in opting for a dupe or something which is quite affordable because there's minimal that can cause issues," she adds.

'Do Not Be Swayed by the Container'

However the experts also recommend shoppers do their research and state that higher-priced items are sometimes worth the additional cost.

Regarding premium skincare, you're not only funding the label and marketing - sometimes the increased price tag also is due to the components and their grade, the strength of the effective element, the research employed to produce the item, and trials into the products' effectiveness, the expert notes.

Facialist she argues it's valuable questioning how some dupes can be sold so at a low cost.

In some cases, she states they might include filler ingredients that do not provide as significant advantages for the complexion, or the materials might not be as high-quality.

"One big doubt is 'Why is it so low-priced?'" she remarks.

Commentator Scott says in some cases he's bought beauty products that look comparable to a well-known brand but the product itself has "no resemblance to the premium version".

"Don't be convinced by the packaging," he warned.

SimpleImages/Getty Images

For advanced items or ones with ingredients that can irritate the skin if they're not created correctly, such as retinols or vitamin C, Dr Bhate suggests sticking to medical-grade companies.

She says these typically have been subjected to costly studies to determine how efficacious they are.

Skincare products are required to be tested before they can be available in the UK, explains skin doctor Emma Wedgeworth.

When the company advertises about the performance of the product, it must have research to support it, "but the brand does not always have to conduct the testing" and can alternatively reference evidence completed by other brands, she says.

Check the Back of the Container

Is there any components that could suggest a item is low-quality?

Ingredients on the back of the container are ordered by concentration. "The baddies that you need to be wary of… is your petroleum-derived oil, your SLS, parfum, benzel peroxide" being {high up